A few years ago, I posed the question: Is a workplace “English-only” rule legal? Yadda, yadda, yadda, sometimes. That is, in this Compliance Manual, the EEOC confirms that employers may adopt English-only rules under certain circumstances, insofar as it is adopted for nondiscriminatory reasons (e.g., safety, business necessity) and not to discriminate…
Articles Posted in Human Resources Policies
Does a company invade an employee’s privacy by accessing personal texts on a work-issued iPad?
This “invasion of privacy” question is the lynchpin of a new lawsuit from two former employees of one of the largest beer companies in the world. The complaint (available here), which began in state court, has been removed to federal court in New Jersey. David Gialanella, reporting for the New Jersey…
39 reasons why your employee handbook may violate the law
Before I get to a 1752-word blog post about the National Labor Relations Board going wee-wee all over your workplace Cheerios with this March 18 report from General Counsel Griffin, replete with examples of how your employee handbook is overly broad and violates the National Labor Relations Act, let me do two…
#HR mistakes and how to address them
So…how many of you slept well after last night’s The Walking Dead? Don’t worry, no spoilers here. Instead, what I do have is this link to a great post from my blogging buddy, Sharlyn Lauby a/k/a the HR Bartender. With a little help from this dude, Sharlyn’s post hits on,…
Paid sick leave becomes the law in Philadelphia
Back in December, I warned you (here) that, after two failed attempts to enact paid sick leave in Philadelphia, the third time may be the charm in 2015. I was right. (Want to rub my head for good luck? Or hire me as your employment lawyer? Yeah, let’s go with the…
152,000 reasons for employers to consider discrimination with drug testing and haircuts
After the jump, what employers can learn from a possibly botched drug test and the failure to hire a Rastafarian (Or an excuse for me to make gratuitous True Romance references). * * * Many employers drug test job applicants. Floyd (played by a young Brad Pitt), once motivated…
#SOTU and the #Workplace: A full debriefing of last night’s Presidential address
I had every intention of watching the President address the Nation last night. I really did. But, then I got sucked into the Director’s Cut of The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan’s Island, the one where the Washington Generals show up first and replace all the confetti with lice. Then poor Lovie…
President Obama to push for paid sick leave for American workers
In an announcement made late in the day yesterday on LinkedIn, Valerie Jarrett, Senior Advisor to President Barack Obama, posted that President Obama will call upon Congress today to pass the Healthy Families Act. More on this push from the President and what it will mean for American business, after…
If you employ progressive discipline, don’t slap your employees with a bearded dragon
And by bearded dragon, I mean, well, bearded dragon. This warning holds true even if you operate a reptile store. Chris Joseph of the Broward/Palm Beach New Times reports (here) that a Florida reptile store owner was “arrested on battery and cruelty to animal charges on Friday after he allegedly hit…
NLRB: Your employees can use company email to badmouth you and unionize. Four reasons it’s no big deal.
YES, THAT’S RIGHT. NO BIG DEAL. Hey, if you’re a big employment dork like me, (vote Handbook!), you’ve already read a bunch of blog posts, and you’ll read several more about how the sky is falling after yesterday’s NLRB decision, in which the Board held that employees may use company…